January 31: All about the visuals: Top Ten Favorite Graphic Novels/Comics or Ten Comics on My TBR or Top Ten Favorite Picture Books

To be honest, I'm super new to graphic novels! I read a few at the end of last year though, and really enjoyed them, and now I want to read more! I've discovered quite a few I didn't know about when making this list, and now I'm so excited to start them!

1. Wires and Nerve, Volume 1 (Wires and Nerve #1) by Marissa Meyer - I've been seeing this book around a LOT lately, and I'm super curious! I still need to finish the original series first, but hopefully I can get to it soon!

2. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: The Graphic Novel (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children Graphic Novels #1) by Ransom Riggs - I just read Miss Peregrine's last year, and really, really enjoyed the book! I still need to read the second and third books in the series, but I'm also adding the graphic novel to my list as well!

3. Iron King (The Iron Fey Manga #1) by Julie Kagawa - How did I not know this was a thing? I LOVE the Iron Fey series!! I must get a copy of this soon.

4. Legend: The Graphic Novel (Legend: The Graphic Novel #1) by Marie Lu - This is another series I need to finish (start) before I can read the graphic novel, but it's good to know this is out there waiting on me!

5. The Lightning Thief: The Graphic Novel (Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Graphic Novels #1) by Rick Riordan - This was actually one of the first graphic novels I ever read! Last year I read the first three novels in this series, and I'm anxiously waiting to get my hands on the fourth and fifth novels. :)

7. The Infernal Devices: Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices: Manga #1) by Cassandra Clare - Again, how did I not know that these were a thing?!?! I totally would have read them sooner if I had. Luckily my library as the three novels in this series, and I can't wait to get started on them!

8. City of Bones: The Graphic Novel (The Mortal Instruments: Graphic Novel #1) by Cassandra Clare - Again, see above. My library does not have this set, but hopefully they will get them in soon.

9. Pride & Prejudice (Jane Austen: Marvel Adaptations) by Nancy Butler, Hugo Petrus, Jane Austen - AHHHHHH! I actually think I knew about this one before, but I must have completely forgotten, because I totally would have read it sooner. There are actually quite a few P&P graphic novels out there, so I'm excited to read them all!

10. Sense and Sensibility (Jane Austen: Marvel Adaptations) by Nancy Butler, Sonny Liew, Jane Austen - Same as above! I have both of these on hold at the library, and I can't wait to read them!

There you have it! My small list of graphic novels on my TBR.
Have a suggestion of a novel I should try?? Leave a comment below and I'll check it out!

Scarlett
has never left the tiny isle of Trisda, pining from afar for the wonder
of Caraval, a once-a-year week-long performance where the audience
participates in the show.

Caraval is Magic. Mystery. Adventure.
And for Scarlett and her beloved sister Tella it represents freedom and
an escape from their ruthless, abusive father.

When the sisters'
long-awaited invitations to Caraval finally arrive, it seems their
dreams have come true. But no sooner have they arrived than Tella
vanishes, kidnapped by the show's mastermind organiser, Legend.

Scarlett
has been told that everything that happens during Caraval is only an
elaborate performance. But nonetheless she quickly becomes enmeshed in a
dangerous game of love, magic and heartbreak. And real or not, she must
find Tella before the game is over, and her sister disappears forever.

A
mesmerising, magical and stunningly imaginative debut novel for anyone
who loved The Night Circus and Daughter of Smoke and Bone.
(Goodreads)

My Thoughts...

I have to admit, I was pretty curious to read Caraval by Stephanie Garber, especially after reading so much hype about the book. I had heard the book was pretty awesome, and I couldn't wait to read it for myself to see what the fuss was about. I definitely was not disappointed; Caraval was great!

I absolutely loved the storyline for the book. It was mysterious and completely captivating. As I was reading the book, I actually felt like I was IN the story. All of the magical aspects of the book were completely fascinating as well. I love that the story kept me guessing throughout the WHOLE book; I never knew what to expect next as I turned the pages. I love when a book does that! I'm definitely on board for reading the second book as soon as it's released, and I was be impatiently waiting to get my hands on it!

There are SO many characters that I love in the story, including the main character, Scarlett. I love that she's so strong, despite the horrible father that she has, and that she's willing to do whatever she has to do to protect her sister. It was really interesting to follow her on her journey through this magical world. There was also Julian, who, to be honest, was hard not to fall in love with. *grin*. There are a few more interesting secondary characters in the story that you will love, and a few that will you will not love in the least, but they are all very well written, and I was left wanting to know more about quite a few of them.

Overall; Caraval was a really great read, and is definitely a most welcome addition to my bookshelf! I'm now even more excited to get my hands on the next book in this duology, which does not yet have a name or release date, but I still can't wait to have. Pick up a copy of Caraval today!

Sunday, January 29, 2017

I really don't even know what to say about this past week. It's just been a horrible, train-wreck of a mess that has done nothing but made me extremely angry and distracted. (If you follow my Twitter feed at all, or live in the US, you totally know what mess I'm talking about.) Because of that, I've not accomplished hardly anything worth updating about this week. Sigh.

Here is what little I accomplished...

I did manage to finish one book this week, Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty, which was absolutely fabulous! I read the bulk of this book in just one day, and I loved it. It really kept me guessing. And now I'm even more excited for the tv series!

I'm *this* close to being finished with Caraval by Stephanie Garber as well, which is SO much better than I expected! I had hoped to finish it on Saturday, but I was not feeling well, so I'm hoping to finish it up today.

I did not really manage to watch any TV or movies this week, other than one episode of This is Us. I'm still behind on SO many shows! I *still* haven't watched Victoria on PBS, which I have been DYING to watch. I'm also still behind on Emerald City, after only watching the first episode, and I didn't get to watch Riverdale, either!

Sigh. Hopefully I can get caught up on these by next week.

I'm still puttering along with my bullet journal, and that has been really great for me this week. One day I will share it with you guys, but I'm still not really in a place where I actually like what I'm doing. I'll get the hang of it soon though.

Also, the end is in sight... the end of Basketball Cheer season, that is! Do you know how many hours a week I spend sitting in the bleachers? A LOT. Haha! I'm really looking forward to having my evenings back again. :)

So, yeah... this weekend update has been pretty depressing, and I do not like that!
Here's hoping that I have a REALLY good week next week, and will have lots to update about.Tomorrow is my birthday, so I at least have to have that one good day, right? :)

In this irresistible
story, Kasie West explores the timeless question of what to do when you
fall for the person you least expect. Witty and romantic, this paperback
original from a fan favorite is perfect for fans of Stephanie Perkins
and Morgan Matson.

When Autumn Collins finds herself accidentally
locked in the library for an entire weekend, she doesn’t think things
could get any worse. But that’s before she realizes that Dax Miller is
locked in with her. Autumn doesn’t know much about Dax except that he’s
trouble. Between the rumors about the fight he was in (and that brief
stint in juvie that followed it) and his reputation as a loner, he’s not
exactly the ideal person to be stuck with. Still, she just keeps
reminding herself that it is only a matter of time before Jeff, her
almost-boyfriend, realizes he left her in the library and comes to
rescue her.

Only he doesn’t come. No one does.

Instead it
becomes clear that Autumn is going to have to spend the next couple of
days living off vending-machine food and making conversation with a boy
who clearly wants nothing to do with her. Except there is more to Dax
than meets the eye. As he and Autumn first grudgingly, and then not so
grudgingly, open up to each other, Autumn is struck by their surprising
connection. But can their feelings for each other survive once the
weekend is over and Autumn’s old life, and old love interest, threaten
to pull her from Dax’s side? (Goodreads)

My Thoughts...

By Your Side by Kasie West was my very first read of 2017. I wanted to pick something that I knew I would love for my first read of the year, and as I adore Kasie's books and contemporaries are my favorite genre, I just know that this book would be the perfect pick. And it was!

The storyline for the book was really cute, just like the rest of West's novels. Imagine being accidentally locked in a library over a three day holiday weekend. Yeah, who of us wouldn't love that?? (Of course, I would also want unlimited amounts of food as well, but, yeah.) Three days uninterrupted in the library? Count me in! That is exactly what happens to our leading lady, Autumn. And when she realizes she's not completely alone in the library, things get even more interesting. This storyline, it was really great, and I flew through the pages in just a few hours time.

I was able to relate to Autumn in more ways than I expected, expect for the fact that she totally didn't take advantage of BEING LOCKED IN THE LIBRARY FOR THREE DAYS. Haha. I know, not everyone can be bookworms, but still. I definitely related to her through her anxiety issues, and I'm sure a lot of you will be able to relate to that as well, and I'm glad that I'm seeing this more and more in books. Dax, the guy that Autumn finds herself locked in the library with, was really interesting as well.

Overall; By Your Side is another great addition to the Kasie West collection! I really enjoyed the storyline and the characters, and I definitely plan to read this book again in the future. And, of course, having read this I am now EVEN MORE excited to get my hands on Kasie's next release, Lucky in Love, due to release in July! Check both of these books out today!

Sixteen-year-old Tatum
Elsea is bracing for the worst summer of her life. After being falsely
accused of a crime, she’s stuck under stepmother-imposed house arrest
and her BFF’s gone ghost. Tatum fills her newfound free time with
community service by day and working at her covert graphic design
business at night (which includes trading emails with a cute
cello-playing client). When Tatum discovers she’s not the only one in
the house keeping secrets, she finds she has the chance to make amends
with her family and friends. Equipped with a new perspective, and
assisted by her feisty step-abuela-slash-fairy-godmother, Tatum is ready
to start fresh and maybe even get her happy ending along the way.A
modern play on the Cinderella story arc, Christina June’s IT STARTED
WITH GOODBYE shows us that sometimes going after what you want means
breaking the rules. (Goodreads)

Did you know that contemporaries are my absolute favorite??And that this book is a modern retelling of the Cinderella storyline??Ahh!! Yes, count me in, please!! This story sounds like it's going to be really great.
I managed to snag a review copy of the book, and I can't wait to dive into it!!

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

January 24: FREEBIE ---
(that super specific list you want to make?? All yours to tackle this week!)

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I decided to use this Top Ten Tuesday Freebie
to make a list of movies I want to watch for Valentine's Day! I've not yet seen any of these, and I'm excited to finally do so! Have a suggestion on something I should watch? Leave a comment below! I'd love to hear your faves. :)

1. When Harry Met Sally - I'm watching this with my book club girls in February, and I'm SO excited! I think I have seen parts of it before, but never all the way through.

2. Sleepless in Seattle - I actually have seen this movie before, but you can't watch one Meg Ryan movie without watching another!!

3. Say Anything - I love John Cusack, and I've always wanted to watch this movie. I'm making it a priority in Feb!!

4. Sabrina - I've seen the remake for this movie that starred Harrison Ford and Julia Ormond, but I've never seen the original. I'm excited to watch it!